Despite announcing a brand new Nintendo 3DS model today in Japan, Nintendo of Europe has confirmed that it will cut 320 jobs by August 31. When the office relocation was originally announced, only 130 jobs were expected to be cut. However, more than 190 temporary workers are being added to the list of people being laid off during this adjustment. Kotaku reached out for clarification of the job cuts and this is Nintendo’s official statement:

As previously communicated in June 2014, approximately 130 permanent employees will be released by Nintendo of Europe (Germany) at the end of August 2014 as part of a set of measures to better enable the European business to adapt to the rapidly changing business environment.

As a separate measure, Nintendo of Europe is reorganizing its European Localization Development (ELD) department, where it currently uses a number of temporary agency workers in translation and testing activities, in order to increase flexibility and cost-efficiency in the long-term. It is intended that there will be an increase in outsourcing future translation and test activities to third-party companies on an as-needed basis, and very sadly this has meant having ended the contracts of 190 temporary agency workers, who were formally notified of this decision in June 2014.

From that, it seems as if the translation department that works on games to make sure FIGS (French, Italian, German, Spanish) translations are up to par with their English translations. While it sucks that these workers are being laid off, Nintendo’s representative made mention of using third-party workers in order to translate in the future. Perhaps this will result in games being translated for the European region in a much more timely manner.

You don’t see this kind of thing that much in Japan. I hope they will still help the indistry and move on fast. shame.

Mr Ninty

if japanese get fired he kill himself.

i hope nintendo becomes stable again soon, but good be worse didnt mirco laid off 5000-10000 people earlier this year?

BrBa

LOL.

bistricky

Let’s face it …. Nintendo of Europe has been a mess for awhile ….
Hopefully, Nintendo can limit the job cuts and get retailers and gamers more excited for Nintendo products.
😀

Mayoo

Third-party translation = All your game are belong to us

MewtwoWillBeBack

If they will release Polish language Im Gonna be happy as ya don’t know ._.

Nintendo Fan 4 Lif3

This is a pretty big shock..but I guess it’s for the long term.

Jon

Sorry but:

“temporary workers”

meaning, they were not permanent staff to begin with and they knew and went into the job knowing that their jobs would not last long term. So really, these “cuts” were going to happen sooner or later just by the nature of the contract signed. I don’t know why it is such a shock that 190 people who only had temporary positions got laid off.

Nickos Foivos

That is very bad!!!! Nintendo is doing poor in Europe and I hope new staff will turn this down!